SOCCER PLAYERS from Latvia

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Latvian Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Latvian Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Latvian Soccer Players.

1. Māris Verpakovskis (1979 - )

With an HPI of 43.18, Māris Verpakovskis is the most famous Latvian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 40 different languages on wikipedia.

Māris Verpakovskis (born 15 October 1979), is a Latvian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He played for the Latvia national team at UEFA Euro 2004 and is the only Latvian player to score at the end stage of a major international football tournament.

2. Aleksandrs Starkovs (1955 - )

With an HPI of 41.07, Aleksandrs Starkovs is the 2nd most famous Latvian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Aleksandrs Starkovs (born 26 July 1955) is a Latvian football coach and a former player. Most recently he coached FK Liepāja. Starkovs has managed clubs such as Spartak Moscow in Russia, FK Baku in Azerbaijan and Skonto FC in Latvia. He had three stints with the Latvia national team.

3. Vitālijs Astafjevs (1971 - )

With an HPI of 38.95, Vitālijs Astafjevs is the 3rd most famous Latvian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Vitālijs Astafjevs (born 3 April 1971) is a Latvian professional football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is an assistant manager of Cypriot club Aris Limassol having previously held the role for the Latvia national team. Astafjevs won nine Latvian championships with Skonto Riga. He also played abroad for clubs in Austria, England and Russia. At international level, Astaefjevs captained Latvia at UEFA Euro 2004. With 167 caps for his country Astafjevs held the European record for the most international matches played, until being overtaken by Gianluigi Buffon in 2017. He is currently the joint sixteenth-most capped male footballer in history, alongside Iker Casillas.

4. Artjoms Rudņevs (1988 - )

With an HPI of 36.08, Artjoms Rudņevs is the 4th most famous Latvian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Artjoms Rudņevs (born 13 January 1988) is a Latvian former professional footballer who played as a striker for Daugava Daugavpils in his home country, for Zalaegerszegi TE in Hungary, for Lech Poznań in Poland, and for Bundesliga clubs Hamburger SV, Hannover 96, and 1. FC Köln. At international level, he represented the Latvia national team.

5. Aleksandrs Koļinko (1975 - )

With an HPI of 31.91, Aleksandrs Koļinko is the 5th most famous Latvian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Aleksandrs Koliņko (born 18 June 1975) is a Latvian professional football coach and a former player. He is the manager of Latvian Higher League club Super Nova.

6. Andris Vaņins (1980 - )

With an HPI of 31.89, Andris Vaņins is the 6th most famous Latvian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Andris Vaņins (born 30 April 1980) is a Latvian former professional footballer who works as a goalkeeping coach for Latvia national under-19 football team. A goalkeeper, he most notably played for Sion, making over 200 league appearances. At international level, he earned 100 caps for the Latvia national team.

7. Juris Laizāns (1979 - )

With an HPI of 30.55, Juris Laizāns is the 7th most famous Latvian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Juris Laizāns (born 6 January 1979) is a Latvian former professional footballer. A midfielder, he spent a large part of his playing career abroad in Russia. He made 113 appearances for the Latvia national team scoring 15 goals.

8. Andrejs Rubins (1978 - 2022)

With an HPI of 30.30, Andrejs Rubins is the 8th most famous Latvian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Andrejs Rubins (26 November 1978 – 1 August 2022) was a Latvian professional footballer who played as a left midfielder. He was a member of the Latvia national team. Rubins worked as a football manager.

9. Kaspars Gorkšs (1981 - )

With an HPI of 28.24, Kaspars Gorkšs is the 9th most famous Latvian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Kaspars Gorkšs (born 6 November 1981) is a Latvian former professional footballer who played as a defender. Gorkšs was also the captain of the Latvia national team. From 2018 to 2019 Gorkšs served as president of the Latvian Football Federation. Gorkšs firstly established himself in his native Latvia before moving to English football in 2006 with Blackpool. He has twice won promotion to the Premier League, with Queens Park Rangers and Reading.

10. Aleksandrs Cauņa (1988 - )

With an HPI of 28.19, Aleksandrs Cauņa is the 10th most famous Latvian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Aleksandrs Cauņa (Latvian pronunciation: [ˈt͡sauɲa]; born 19 January 1988) is a Latvian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.